


Unlikely Allies in Adversity

by Merfilly



Series: Twice the Maul [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Enemies, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2019-02-05 19:36:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12800901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: When Maul confronted Obi-Wan... the Force intervened oddly.





	Unlikely Allies in Adversity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SLWalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SLWalker/gifts).



Maul didn't recognize his surroundings, and he felt wretched. It was… not the pain of a beating or injury, but an internal thrashing of his lungs alongside a body ache that refused to relent. His head was pounding, not quite like a headache, and the heat—

"Twin suns!"

"So you are awake," came the very quiet, droll tones of Kenobi. Maul scrambled to get his feet under him, but nothing wanted to work correctly, causing him to roll to a side and heave a few moments, with coughing and retching alike. "You might want to be still. Apparently the Force storm that overtook us both had a worse effect on you.

"And no, I don't fully understand what has happened. I know we are still on Tatooine, but the Force has swept us up in something very odd."

"You expect me to believe you, Kenobi?" the former Sith warrior asked, but it was rhetorical. The sad thing of it was that Maul did believe his long-time nemesis.

"I care little if you do or do not. What I do know is that you are ill from the Force's manipulations, there are more beings out there with the Force than there should be, and I believe we are meant to let go of our adversity to try and remedy the situation."

Kenobi came fully into view then, aged beyond his years by the life he had lived. Maul didn't even snarl, or flinch, as the human aided him in sitting up on the cot.

"Where are we?" Maul asked, even as he felt a sinking situation that he had been here before.

"Less where, for we are still on Tatooine. More when, I fear," Kenobi said softly. "This is Mos Espa, and I think it is the year you and I began this pointless life of animosity."

Maul looked at the human, then carefully touched the Force, expecting to find the Abyss that had devoured his life after Mandalore… and knew that Kenobi was not lying. He coughed again, violently, in his surprise, but wrestled it under control after several moments.

"It can all be different, Maul… if you will work with me," Kenobi offered.

Maul smiled, a sharp look, but one that was calculating and strong. "What a galaxy you and I will make, Kenobi, with what we both know."

"I have no interest in ruling the galaxy; I mean to stop all the needless deaths," Kenobi said. He then settled beside the cot on a stool that had been set there for a reason. "Can you help me do that, Maul? Can you put away your rage as I put aside my grief, and work with me to thwart the man that orchestrated both of our miseries?"

"My rage is as much a part of me as your grief, Kenobi," Maul said. "You may find that ruling is the only way to accomplish what you mean to do, given that your precious Order was as complicit in destroying everything as he was."

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

* * *

The first trial Kenobi presented him with was how to throw off the younger Maul from killing the old Jedi. 

"Why? Tell me one reason why that doesn't involve sentimentality, and I may consider it," Maul told his partner in this strange business of time travel.

Kenobi reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. He considered a long moment, then opened his eyes to gaze at Maul evenly.

"He questions them. He pushes their level of reasoning by doing so. And, of all the Jedi currently living, he is most able to provide assistance, down the road, against Dooku, should he still Fall."

Maul considered, then inclined his head. "The meeting on the sands will not occur, but I can make no promises that Theed will be changed."

"Then it is in the Force's hands," Kenobi said, conceding that part of what they faced. There were greater, far more important tasks, for them to seek out in their mission to destroy the Empire before it came to pass.

* * *

Maul didn't ask why Kenobi gave the money he had on hand to the slave woman after disarming and destroying the bomb inside her. Maul overheard Kenobi saying for her to leave the planet, by any means necessary What point was there in making sense of a Jedi's motivations? They were such weak, pathetic, useless—

— bold warriors who had slaughtered all the Sith of old, and left the Galaxy to stagnate and fall prey to—

He shook his head to clear it, refusing to give into the rage that had been grown within his chest and soul. Kenobi might well be the surrogate face for all of that pain and misery, but he was right.

Sidious was the enemy, and that meant being both canny and on guard against his emotional tides where Kenobi was concerned. 

Now, as they boarded the ship they had acquired between Obi-Wan's gambling and Maul's intimidation, he wondered what the next step was. Kenobi wasn't pushing to go to Naboo, despite having asked for the meddling against his younger self.

"What's your plan?" he growled as the familiar comfort of hyperspace settled around their vessel.

"We haven't worked it out yet, now have we?"

That pushed Maul off his testiness. Kenobi was not dictating their actions at all? He expected Maul to help sort out what to do?

"Coruscant and kill him?" Maul suggested, testing the waters.

"As neither of us are as good with our lightsabers as we were once, I'd say that's a definite bad plan."

"We could ambush him on Naboo."

"Again, while that might reveal him for the Sith he is, winds up with one or both of us likely dead. And depending on how the interference at Tatooine rippled out, could cause your younger self to become involved directly."

Maul hissed; he knew his younger self was going to be lucky to escape punishment for his failure on Tatooine, even as subtly as Maul had managed that bit of interference.

"Well what are your ideas?" he demanded at last.

Kenobi looked over at him, and gave a smile that was almost worthy of his opponent in days long past. "I think we should disrupt those systems that were wholly Separatist, to make Sidious's job harder. We might need allies, though."

Maul considered that, then slowly returned the smile, his eyes reflecting a passion for the kind of disruption he could pull off. "I think I know just where to start on that… if you are brave enough to trust in my choices."

"Maul, I have faith in your desire for vengeance, and I know you have seen the truth of who is to blame for all of our pain. So yes, I do."

* * *

They wound up on Naboo anyway.

Maul had never intended to allow his younger self to be broken and sent into madness, but he had needed to understand just where Kenobi was sitting in his dedication to this 'teamwork' concept. Kenobi didn't overrule him, didn't do anything to provoke the young Sith Warrior at all. He even played along with Maul's deception of being the one in charge of everything.

Maul suspected it had more to do with improving the Jedi's chances on Naboo than a willingness to work with not one, but two, of the dark-siders.

Yet, when he suggested they head for Dathomir, Kenobi still did not protest. That raised hackles on the elder Maul, who took advantage of a late night in the cockpit to finally demand answers.

"You are letting me dictate a lot of this 'plan', and I am beginning to not trust it!" he snapped.

Kenobi sighed softly, and turned his hands up in supplication. "Maul, the Jedi failed. If we're going to succeed, I need the path not taken before. If that means I work with an entire battalion of dark-siders to break Sith power, so be it.

"I want Sidious destroyed beyond all chance of success, both by forcing him into the public eye for what he is and by killing him with prejudice," Kenobi told Maul. "Before it ever gets to Geonosis. You, your younger self… at this time, I'd even try to make you and Ventress get along so we had her skills!"

Maul considered the passion and truth in those words, then slowly nodded. "Not the witch… or not that one, anyway. Maybe one of the others… but I think my brother will serve us well."

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi was at a loss for a time. He had two Mauls, one of whom hated him for no good reason and another who hated him for past grievances. And then there were the two brothers… which was a source of calming for both of the Mauls.

They had a very real purpose in life, that of kriffing Sith plans… but he could only hope that he didn't lose his way or fail to see the betrayal that might yet come when the Dathomiri warriors decided he was no longer useful.

By that time, he hoped the Sith master was dead, that Anakin and the Republic would be safe even if he failed to prevail against them. Only time would tell…

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Words](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12803454) by [SLWalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SLWalker/pseuds/SLWalker)




End file.
